Lush Life
by beesandbrews
Summary: Jack and Ianto have left Earth and struck out for new adventures in space. With few credits in their pockets, they end up on Merkedes, a planet whose motto is 'Appearances not only can be deceiving, they ought to be'.


As marketplaces went, it was adequate. There were a dozen or so wood framed stalls that looked like they were more or less permanent. Clustered around those like poor, but hopeful relations, were tents and tables, even a few carts – minus the draft animals that had pulled them into town – laden with an assortment of fruits and vegetables and household goods. Ianto coughed. The air was hot and dusty and it made his throat itch. He glanced over at Jack. He was taking it all in with a keen eye. A small smile kept tugging at his lips.

Ianto sighed and felt a sharp pang of homesickness. It wasn't that space wasn't living up to his expectations. As far as those went, he hadn't any. Life at Torchwood had taught him that despite the sneering of some of the travellers who came through the Rift, the Earth wasn't nearly as backwards as it was claimed to be. Granted, he hadn't a huge amount of data from which to draw his conclusions, but it appeared for every crystal citadel or cloud city populated by lotus eaters, there were two dusty backwaters, composed of mud brick dwellings, where the citizens scraped by on sweat and dumb luck.

From the moment they'd disembarked at the spaceport, it was obvious on which sort of planet they'd landed. Jack had looked around and shrugged. They were low on credits, and this was the sort of place they could live cheap, work hard, and accumulate a grubstake.

"Doesn't look like much, does it?" Jack put his arm around Ianto's shoulders and gave him a squeeze. "I know that's what you're thinking. That I've let you down again and we should have headed back to Earth when we had a chance to hitch a lift."

"I didn't say that," Ianto protested.

"No. But you were thinking it." Jack pointed at his temple. "You get these little lines, right here, when you're unhappy, but you're trying to keep it to yourself. The truth of it is, Merkedes is one of those planets that likes to keep its lights under a basket. Their planet's motto is 'Appearances not only can be deceiving, they ought to be.' Here, take this for example."

Jack evidently found what he was searching for. He strode over to one of the vendors and spent several minutes in conversation using a language that sounded like a cross between Pig Latin and Reversed Audio Tape Recording. Jack passed over some coins and accepted several wrapped items that he tucked away into his rucksack, and then the vendor handed over a pair of lumpy, olive green somethings the size of a cricket ball. There was another burst of incomprehensible conversation that was followed by one of Jack's cheeky grins.

Another patron approached the stall and they moved on, taking shelter from the noonday sun under a stretched piece of canvas that seemed constructed for that very purpose. Jack held one of his acquisitions in front of Ianto's face. "It's called a soula. Take a bite."

Not only was the soula green and lumpy, it smelt like milk that had gone off. Ianto did the sensible thing and pushed it away. "Are you mad?"

With the acuteness born of too many nights spent walking down dark alleyways and engaging in other dangerous pursuits, Ianto felt eyes upon him. He diverted his attention away from Jack and the noxious fruit long enough to glance around and determine whose attention they'd managed to attract.

The stallkeeper was watching them and his craggy, weather-beaten face was distorted by what appeared to be an anticipatory expression, as if he'd seen this bit of pantomime before and found it great entertainment. At least that was impression he gave. Not knowing the social nuances of the planet they'd landed on, it could have been he was in the process of being gravely insulted by Ianto's reticence to try his wares.

Further considering he didn't know what the penalty was if he had unwittingly offered offence, Ianto took a shallow breath through his mouth, so as not to inhale any more of the noxious fumes emanating from the soula, and bit down.

If his eyes went wide with surprise it was only because instead of tasting like something that had crawled away to die, the soula burst brightly onto his tongue, filling his mouth with a flavour that was both sweet and tangy. It slacked his thirst and relieved the hunger that had started to gnaw uncomfortably at his belly. The awful smell of the exterior was somehow completely nullified, leaving only a crisp and nutty finish in its wake as Ianto chewed a flesh that managed to be both crunchy and tender. He examined the exposed interior and found it to be custard-like in consistency, but peppered throughout with tiny yellow seeds only slightly darker than the pulp. Ianto glanced over at Jack and saw the same sort of smile that now split the stallkeeper's face.

"Good, yeah?" Jack said, knowing perfectly well what the answer would be.

"I sense there's a lesson in all of this," Ianto replied. Jack bumped his shoulder indicating they should move on. Ianto lifted his chin in acknowledgement to the fruit and veg vendor letting him know he'd made a convert, and fell in next to his partner.

"Tomorrow they'll let us into the lodging house and we'll report for work, but tonight, I want us to engage in a local tradition." Jack led them away from the dusty market, past the row of visitors' accommodations, and out of town entirely.

"We're sleeping rough?" Ianto said dubiously.

Jack rubbed Ianto's shoulders, easing his hand under the rucksack straps and soothing the knotted muscles he found underneath. "Not exactly. Camping, yes. But I wouldn't call it sleeping rough."

"You realise you're not making sense." Ianto sighed. He was out of his depth and knew it. His knowledge of life off-planet came from the bits and pieces that fell through the Rift and from stories other interplanetary travellers told. It was all second-hand knowledge, and most of it was dubious at best. Jack, on the other hand, had actually lived this life before; travelling from planet to planet, sometimes through legitimate means, and sometimes by living on his wits as they were doing now. Ianto had to trust his greater experience.

The dusty village gave way to grassy fields. At a signpost that seemed to indicate a crossing, they left the main track but instead of taking up the subsidiary road, they headed through a sweetly scented meadow. They weren't the first to do so. What Ianto had presumed to be some kind of random lark on Jack's part was actually a footpath that led through the meadow, into a copse of trees, and down a small hill.

Jack glanced around, found another inconspicuous landmark, and headed off again. "We're almost there."

"There being?" Ianto asked, even though he'd counselled himself to be patient. Jack obviously had a surprise up his sleeve. That was obvious from the little glances he kept shooting Ianto's direction and the tiny smile that kept tugging at his lips. Whatever it was, it was meant to be a treat, and it was hard not to get caught up in Jack's excitement, even if there was a shiver of anticipatory dread that accompanied it.

Jack raised a finger to his lips. "Shh. You hear that?"

Ianto listened. Bird song. Lots of it. The whirring of insects, mostly invisible. The sound of leaves being caught on a warm, afternoon breeze, and just underneath it all, the burbling sound of water. He nodded. "Yeah. From over there."

Someone had rigged a rope guideline. They gripped it with both hands as they clambered gingerly down a rocky slope into a canyon painted with watercolours. "Oh." Ianto gaped. He couldn't help himself. Nothing he'd seen since planetfall had prepared him for such a breathtaking sight. The water that burbled and gurgled before him was crystalline, and he could see straight to the bottom of the channel. The caramel-coloured rocks were striped with bands of intense blue and green and deep chocolate brown. The plant life, though sparse, made up for its scarcity by perfuming the breeze with a mouthwatering fragrance.

"You haven't seen the best bit yet," Jack said as he tugged Ianto's hand and led him deeper into the canyon.

They walked another quarter mile or so to a small grotto. "Go on," Jack said. He couldn't hide his smile. Ianto started to shrug out of his rucksack to get his torch, but Jack shook his head. "You won't need it. Go on."

They stepped inside the cavern. The daylight faded quickly behind them. Jack put his hand on Ianto's shoulder again. "Close your eyes. Just for a minute. It'll help you adjust."

Ianto closed his eyes and counted sixty. When he opened them, he gaped again. It wasn't bright as day, but it was bright enough to see the spires and drapes that hung above their heads and guarded the pathway, geological oddities created by millennia of mineralised water dripping and evaporating. "It's beautiful," he said softly.

"There's bathing pools ahead. And a camping area. That's where we're staying tonight."

They walked further until they came to another signpost. Even though Ianto couldn't read the language, the inference seemed obvious: "You are here."

The pathway they'd followed opened up into a huge fairy grotto. The walls were peppered with a series of tunnel entrances. Artificial lighting supplemented the luminescent mosses so that it was just bright enough to keep them from stumbling over their feet without compromising the serenity of the setting. Jack propelled them forward again, dropping his arm around Ianto's shoulders and giving him a gentle push.

He guided Ianto under one of the archways and into a chamber. "What do you think?"

"We're definitely not sleeping rough." His voice had gone hoarse, and Ianto realised it was because he'd forgotten to take a breath before trying to speak. The cave was cut from crystal, or so it appeared. There were a pair of comfortable looking chairs that overlooked a fireplace for cooking, and beyond that a raised shelf on which rested a more than adequately sized platform on which to make their bed.

"There's a private bathing area all the way at the back."

Ianto dropped his rucksack next to one of the chairs and let Jack drag him by the hand to see.

They passed by a partitioned space that housed sanitary facilities and a conventional shower on their way to the very back of the cavern. There, the artificial lighting ended, leaving only the natural phosphorescence for illumination.

"Come on." Jack started working the fastenings on his clothing, dropping the shed layers into a rough pile at his feet. "After the last couple of weeks, you deserve a little luxury."

The cascade of effervescent water was silky against his skin as Ianto slipped into the depths of the pool. The water was a few degrees above body temperature, cooler than he normally liked his bathwater, but after the long walk, it was both incredibly soothing and refreshing.

"Like it?" Jack asked.

Ianto nodded absently, and then he leaned over and kissed Jack. "Mmm," he said against his partner's lips. "Very much."

"When I sprung this trip on you, I promised you the stars." Jack swept a hand overhead and then placed it palm up in front of Ianto's chest, pantomiming stealing from the heavens and then offering his gift. "I was going to show you the best of the best. All the pleasures the galaxy had to offer, from a restaurant that runs a biometric scan on your taste buds so that they can prepare the perfect meal, to this place I know that gives massages that are so good, you can't even begin to imagine."

The look on his face suggested Jack was remembering exactly how good of an experience it had been, and Ianto felt a sharp pang of loss for something he didn't even know he'd been missing. But then he glanced around the cavern and was captivated anew by the fairy-lights and the natural beauty. He laughed ruefully. "Jack, I'm a man of simple tastes. They probably would have run their scan and still served me steak and chips." He shifted so he was straddling Jack's lap. "And I can't think of anyone's hands, no matter how gifted, I'd rather have on my body than yours."

Jack looked at him quizzically. "What are you saying, Ianto?"

As they shifted around and got more comfortable, Ianto clasped Jack's hand and raised it from the water so that the band, a twin to his own, was exposed. "I'm saying it doesn't matter. Better or worse. Richer or poorer, remember? When we first got out here, and things went wrong, we were both unhappy. You because your treat didn't work out the way you planned. And me, because I was scared. All sorts of things went through my head. What if we were separated? I don't really speak the language. I don't know the rules. And the more things went wrong, the more upset you got, and that fed my fears."

"And I saw you were unhappy, and that made me unhappy …" Jack chuckled and squeezed Ianto's fingers gently. "And the next thing we knew there was a giant negative feedback loop going." He sighed. "We've been incredibly stupid, haven't we."

It really wasn't a question, it was an admission of fact. Ianto nodded. "Yep. I'm sorry. I should have had more faith."

Jack shook his head. "It's hard to overcome years of conditioning. If working at Torchwood taught you anything, it was if a situation seems like it's gone down the pan and it can't get any worse, it probably will." He grinned roguishly. "That is until your dashing Captain comes up with an amazing way to save the day." He punched Ianto's arm playfully. "You're right. You should have had more faith." And then the smile dropped and he became serious. "But I should have realised sooner what was going through your brain. It's hard to believe, I know, but I'm not a mind reader. Next time you feel like you're over your head, say something. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Does that mean we can make up properly now?" Jack sounded hopeful.

Ianto trailed his fingers through the silky water and contemplated the possibilities. Tomorrow they would report for work as freighter mechanics, but they had a long night ahead of them and a lot of hours to fill. Making up seemed like an ideal way to pass the time.

"Yep." Ianto dipped forward and brushed his lips over Jack's. "I think it does."


End file.
